And Now the Screaming Starts!

source: And Now the Screaming Starts!

And Now the Screaming Stars! (1973) *** (out of 4) Charles Fengriffen (Ian Ogilvy) brings his new bride Catherine (Stephanie Beacham) back to his family's estate and it doesn't take long for her to begin seeing strange things. This continues and she starts to think that she's losing her mind so her husband brings in Dr. Pope (Peter Cushing) who quickly uncover some dark secrets. Amicus' AND NOW THE SCREAM STARTS! is a pretty interesting movie for the company as it breaks into the Gothic horror tale, which is something that their rival Hammer often did. Not only does this break into the Gothic side of things but there's also a very ugly and dark sequence towards the end that ranks among the best moments in anything that the studio did but more on that in a bit. What's so impressive with this film was the direction of Roy Ward Baker. He really does a terrific job here as there's quite a bit going on in the screenplay. The first hour of the picture is where we get your typical horror trappings, which includes the bride seeing a variety of "scary" things including a face with no eyes as well as an arm missing a hand. All of this is handled quite well but Baker really comes to life during the final half hour, which includes a rather ugly rape sequence. This sequence here is so well-acted and well-directed that you can certainly feel the evilness in the scene and it really packs a punch. The film also benefits from having some really great performances. Cushing gets the top-billing but he doesn't show up until the final half of the picture. As you'd expect, he's excellent here and turns in another great performance. Herbert Lom turns in one of his finest performances as he is truly evil and sadistic. Then you've got Beacham and Ogilvy who are very good in their roles and there's no question that Beacham lives up to the "scream" in the title as she has a strong pair of lungs. Then you've got Geoffrey Whitehead who steals the picture in his dual role. AND NOW THE SCREAMING STARTS! is a bit darker than a lot of their films but it actually works quite well and is very effective.

A young virginal bride, an old haunted castle, and a twisted sexual curse! Sounds good? Don't bet on it. There are a few scares in this ponderous adaptation of the novel FENGRIFFEN, but they are very few and far between. By the time the family secret was revealed I had lost all interest. One more thing.What does the title 'And Now the Screaming Starts' have to do with the movie? You've got me.

British film company Amicus were the masters of the horror anthology, but they also produced single plot movies, this being one. Here we have a delightfully Gothic tale about a curse, haunted paintings and a crawling, severed hand. The film is very well shot, has lovely sets and boasts a very fine cast. However it is not the "gory horror" that the newspaper TV guide described back in the 1980's when I first watched it, it is also slow at times. Perhaps this was a short story that has been stretched to 90 minutes, it sometimes feels like it. But is does have some effective horror moments, plus there is a rape scene which I found to be the most shocking part, so not suitable for kids. Many years ago when I was attending college one of the bus drivers was a spitting image of Silas the woodsman, we did chuckle about that! Certainly not one of the best Amicus movies but still an enjoyable late night horror.

If you like beautiful scenes of an old English Castle with huge stain glass windows and lots of antiques along with beautiful gardens and very odd servants running all around, this is the film for you. As the film progressed it reminded me of the "Beast with Five Fingers", starring Peter Lorre in the 1940's. Peter Cushing appeared in the middle of the picture as (Dr. Pope),"Top Secret",'84 and gave a good supporting role. Herbert Lom (Henry Fengriffen),"La Setta",'91, tried to keep very dark and horrible secrets from his new bride, Stephanie Beacham,(Catherine Fengriffen),"Wedding Bell Blues",'96, who on their wedding night went crazy with all kinds of images appearing out of various paintings in the hallway and in her bedroom, which prevented any love making! This is a good film to view only on Halloween along with a few strong apple cider's!

"And now, the screaming starts" is the worst movie produced by Amicus. It's worse than "Hour of the Wolf". What's the point in having disturbing rape scenes in movies? It's just a sleazy and meaningless exploitation movie...watch something good instead, like The Phantom Carriage or How Green Was My Valley.

First, I know I am probably going to irritate some readers when I mention this, but I really think the stars of the film were Stephanie Beacham's breasts. Ms. Beacham (known to most American's as 'Sable' from THE COLBY'S) has always been a very attractive and shapely lady, but in this film set at about the year 1790, the dresses she wore throughout the film were extremely low-cut and they tended to highly over-exaggerate her already ample assets. I love my wife dearly and try to never look at another woman, but it was absolutely impossible for any straight man to watch the film without staring! Oddly, while Ms. Beacham (and her breasts) are the clearly the stars of the film, she is listed fourth in the credits (and and no mention of her chest at all). Now, apart from my rather off-color remarks, let's get on to the review. This is a British horror film that is pretty ordinary for the first half. A new bride comes to the mansion and sees a lot of frightening images, though no one else sees them. Slowly, her new hubby starts to think that maybe his wife is unhinged. However, when you learn about the curse and why this is all occurring, then the story gets pretty exciting. In fact, it was nice to see that the longer the film lasted, the better it got. This combined with the relatively low budget make this film a pleasant surprise, as they sure did a lot with what they had. For the casual movie watcher, the film might only merit a 5 or 6, but for horror fans, a score of 7 or 8 don't seem the least bit out of line.

A pair of newly weds move into the family mansion in the late 18th century but unfortunately new bride Catherine keeps seeing ghostly apparitions and the bad news for her husband is that it usually happens just before she consumates the marriage . This is why sex before marriage is essential nowadays chaps you don`t want a frigid wife screaming before bedtime , during bedtime of course is a different matter . Mind you Catherine does have a cracking pair of lungs so obviously she`s excercised them a lot . But apart from Catherine`s lungs there`s not much in this film that held my interest apart from a few unintentional errors like the obvious stunt man falling down the stairs or the wood cutter who`s the spitting image of Rod Hull . I should also point out - As people have done on this page - that Peter Cushing doesn`t appear untill well into the second half

In 1795, in England, the young woman Catherine (Stephanie Beacham) moves to the house of her fiancé Charles Fengriffen (Ian Ogilvy) in the country to get married with him. When she arrives, she feels interest in the portraits of the Fengriffen family, particularly in the one of Charle's grandfather Henry Fengriffen (Herbert Lom), which seems to have a sort of evil entity possessing it. While admiring Henry's face, a severed hand attacks Catherine through the picture on the wall. Later, she gets married with Charles, beginning her journey of mystery, eerie apparitions, secrets and deaths, and having her days filled with fear and the nights with horrors in a cursed family. "And Now the Screaming Starts" is a good movie from Amicus, the greatest competitor studio in England in the 60's and 70's of the famous and cult Hammer. This is a low-budget production (as usual), supported by an interesting low-paced story, and highly recommended for fans like me of British horror movies of the seventies. When I was a teenager, I usually went to all Hammer and Amicus movies in the theaters, and now I feel like in a time machine to my youth when I revisit a movie like "And Now the Screaming Starts". However, this ghost story is not recommended for fans of gore and explicitly violent horror movies. The locations and costumes are great; the cast has good performances, highlighting the lungs of Stephanie Beacham; and the atmosphere and photography fits perfectly to the story, although being sometimes too dark on the VHS and having a bad edition, with abrupt cuts. I found, in some moments and angles, the resemblance of Stephanie Beacham with Rachael Leigh Cook amazing. My vote is six. Title (Brazil): "Os Gritos Que Aterrorizam" ("The Screams That Terrify") Note: On 16 July 2019 I saw this film again.

Based on the trio of name actors present, I decided to give "And Now the Screaming Starts" a shot. I had also read that the movie had some gory scenes, which led me to believe that the print I saw had some footage removed (it's practically goreless). I've never had a fondness for Victorian-era horror films, but I do admire the talents of Peter Cushing, Herbert Lom, and Patrick Magee, and thought they'd make this worth my while. The latter two have extended cameos, while Cushing plays the lead (unfortunately, we have to wait 47 minutes until he makes his grand entrance) and, god bless him, shows not a single hint of the boredom I was feeling in his refined, ultra-classy performance. The plot revolves around a newlywed couple honeymooning at a castle inherited by the husband; soon enough, strange happenings start to plague the wife, and the story drags insufferably, as the central plot point hinges on a secret everyone wants to avoid. If you're a fan of any of the actors (particularly Cushing), give this a shot, but I found myself mostly bored by this effort. 3/10